2 weeks ago
Karissa Bell for Engadget
When I reviewed nan Meta Ray-Ban Display glasses, 1 of my apical frustrations was that location were only a fistful of apps that could return advantage of nan frames' awesome show and they were each made by Meta. Now, that's yet changing.
Meta is opening up nan glasses to third-party developers, who are now capable to research pinch display-enabled apps arsenic good arsenic nan device's Neural Band controller. The level will activity pinch apps that person an accompanying iOS aliases Android mobile app and will besides beryllium compatible pinch web apps, nan institution said successful an update.
With a 20-degree field-of-view, nan glasses' show isn't wholly immersive for illustration different standalone AR glasses. And it sounds for illustration Meta is looking for apps that would beryllium well-suited to nan monocular show for illustration "information overlays." For example, Meta CTO Andrew Bosworth shared a video of 1 early app called "Darkroom Buddy," an interactive guideline for processing movie that could service arsenic a "glanceable" reference.
The spread betwixt thought and prototype has ne'er been smaller. Add glasses and inputs for illustration nan Neural Band, and it feels for illustration nan early days of building successful a measurement we haven't seen successful complete a decade.
We're rolling retired web apps and a mobile SDK connected Meta Ray-Ban Display. Developer Preview... pic.twitter.com/OlDayAkozd
— Boz (@boztank) May 14, 2026
The institution besides suggests that developers tin build experiences for streaming media, "real-time information displays, for illustration scores aliases position updates" and different kidneys of "micro-apps." The institution is besides apparently considering minigames. A video shared by Meta besides includes a fewer specified examples, for illustration chess, snake and a ceramic breaker-style game. (The glasses already vessel pinch 1 Meta-made puzzle game, though I didn't find it peculiarly compelling.)
The summation of third-party apps could unfastened up importantly much functionality for nan $800 glasses nan institution introduced past fall. Since launch, Meta has added immoderate of its ain caller features for illustration a built-in teleprompter and handwriting capabilities, but nan glasses person still felt somewhat limited. For example, I was eager to usage nan glasses while cooking, but disappointment that my only action for seeing a look onto nan show was to inquire Meta AI for one. I benignant of uncertainty immoderate awesome look app developers are reasoning astir this instrumentality correct now, but I for illustration knowing that it's astatine slightest imaginable to do so.
It's unclear erstwhile immoderate of these caller third-party apps could really beryllium available. Meta announced third-party app support for its non-display smart glasses last year, but astir still aren't available. One point I will beryllium watching intimately is really these caller experiences impact artillery life, arsenic I've recovered that display-intensive apps tin drain nan glasses' onboard artillery reasonably quickly.
The timing of Meta's announcement is besides notable. The institution conscionable announced dates for its adjacent Connect event, wherever we're apt to get a batch much updates connected each of its smart glasses plans. CEO Mark Zuckerberg besides teased a caller brace of glasses that could beryllium nan adjacent loop of nan Meta Ray-Ban Display frames.
For group who already person a pair, Meta is besides rolling retired a fewer significant updates that are already available. The antecedently mentioned "neural handwriting" feature, which allows you to respond to messages by tracing letters retired pinch your fingers, is now disposable to everyone. The institution is besides adding show signaling capabilities that let you to grounds what's happening connected nan in-glasses show alongside your ain position and stock it pinch others. I've personally recovered that it's difficult to precisely picture to group what it's for illustration to usage nan heads-up display, truthful I'm looking guardant to trying it out. And, finally, Meta is bringing unrecorded captioning to calls made done Messenger, WhatsApp and Instagram.
